Construction of wardrobes and other furniture



R. J. TALLO N Aug. 30, 1966 CONSTRUCTION OF WARDROBES AND OTHER FURNITURE Filed March 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor M L I- D H P m J D L W D A Home y R. J. TALLON CONSTRUCTION OF WARDROBES AND OTHER FURNITURE Filed March 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor IPONALD JOSEPH 72M LON A Home y R- J. TALLON CONSTRUCTION OF WARDROBES AND OTHER FURNITURE Filed March 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 figil I nventor 01141. 0 Jon/w 72:; L 0

Attorney R.J.TALLON Aug. 30, 1966 CONSTRUCTION OF WARDROBES AND OTHER FURNITURE Filed March 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 for lnven fio/mw damp/4 [ma/v Attorney Patented August 30, 1966 3,269,791 CONSTRUCTION OF WARDROBES AND OTHER FURNITURE Ronald Joseph Tallon, Tara, Newtownpark Ave, Blackrock, Dublin County, Ireland Filed Mar. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 355,283 Claims priority, applicatiar Ireland, Apr. 5, 1963, 298 3 Claims. (Cl. 312-257) This invention concerns the construction of wardrobes and other furniture, such as cabinets, bookcases, desks and so forth. The invention is particularly advantageous when applied to sectional furniture construction which involves assembling together any desired number of compartments or such like units.

In the manufacture of furniture by the conventional methods of the cabinet-makers art a very considerable proportion of the cost of the finished article is accounted for by payment of wages for the skilled work carried out. The main object of the present invention is to provide a simple construction whereby articles of furniture such as wardrobes and the like may be made by assembling from prepared elements in an extremely simple manner, the articles so constructed being strong and of pleasing appearance and being readily adaptable to meet various different requirements as regards their internal fittings and so forth. A further object is to facilitate the assembly together of any desired number of such wardrobes or similar units. The invention further lends itself to a very economical use of the materials of construction.

With the above-mentioned objects in view the invention provides a method of furniture construction which comprise-s assembling together rectangular panels to form the sides of the article to be constructed, the edges of two adjacent panels which form a right-angled corner being respectively located within the angular recesses provided by the flanges of strip-like corner members of cruciform cross-section, the end surface of each panel abutting against one of said flanges while the panel is secured to the adjacent flange with which its front (or rear) surface lies in contact, by the aid of screws or equivalent fastening means which enter the panel in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the panel.

Preferably the two rectangular panels forming adjacent sides of the article have their adjacent edges respectively located in the angular recesses which are provided by the flanges of the strip-like corner member and which lie diagonally opposite each other. With this construction the screws or other fastening means may be passed through the flanges which are on the interior of the corner in question and into the sides of the panels lying in contact therewith; in this way the fastening means is not visible from the exterior of the article.

If it is desired to construct a wardrobe or the like having two or more compartments, or, for example, a series of lockers it is only necessary to connect the necessary number of panels with strip members of cruciform cross-section, into the angular recesses of which the adjacent edge portions of the panels are respectively located as described above. Naturally only a single panel, or alternatively spacing members of length equal to the width of a panel will be required in association with the cruciform strip members between two adjacent compartments when assembling a series of such box-like compartments, the intermediate strip members being common to both compartments.

The invention also includes a novel form of fastening means whereby the assembly of the panels and strip-like members is greatly facilitated, as also the dismantling of the article of furniture, if that is desired for the purpose of storing or transporting the article. The fastening means in question comprises a dowel pin or the like having an enlarged head and a collar spaced from the head; the distance between the collar and the head is approximately equal to the thickness of the flange of the strip-like mem ber, while the head is of a suitable size to pass through the perforation of said member, but this is prevented when the fastening means is placed in position for use by moving the fastening device longitudinally of said member so as to engage the stem portion thereof, which lies between the head and the collar, in the narrower portion of the keyhole-shaped perforation. Instead of perforations, slots which are preferably inclined or L-shaped may be provided in the flanges of the strip-like members to receive the fastening devices.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice it is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a furniture unit for use as a wardrobe, locker or the like constructed according to the invention, the door being omitted,

FIG. 2 is a plan of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sections on lines IlI-IH and 1V-IV respectively of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the article shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, but provided with a door,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan showing details of a number of units of furniture constructed in accord ance with FIGS. 1 to 5 assembled together,

FIG. 7 is a further enlarged sectional plan of a detail of construction, and corresponds to section line V-IIVlI of FIG. 9,

FIG. 8 is a similar detail view corresponding to section line VIII-VIII of FIG. 9,

FIGS. 9 and 10 are respectively front and side elevational views of the constructions shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a preferred form of fastening device in elevation and plan respectively,

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an article of furniture comprising a series of units such as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 assembled together, and

FIG. 14 shows a unit such as shown in FIG. 6 dismantled and packed for transport.

Referring to the drawings, the furniture unit shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 consists of three rectangular panels 1, 2, 3, of plywood, chipboard or similar sheet material, the longitudinal edges of which are engaged in the recesses formed between adjacent flanges of strip-like corner members 4 which are of cruciform cross-section. The panels are secured to the flanges of the corner members which are in contact with the faces of the panels by the aid of fastening devices which may be, for example, countersunk screws, but which preferably take the form of dowels 5 as hereinafter more fully described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12. To receive the fastening means at least two adjacent flanges of the members 4 are formed at intervals with perforations 25.

Upon the fourth side of the unit shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, which is left open, the corner members 4 are held in the desired spaced relation by cross-bars 6, 7 which are similarly secured to the flanges of the members 4 against which the rear surface of each cross-bar rests. The opening formed between the cross-bars 6, 7 and bounded on each side by a member 4 may be adapted to be closed by a door, and in that event a door panel 8 (FIG. 5) may be hinged at one edge to one of the members 4, and when closed its opposite edge will fit into the recess formed between the flanges of the opposite member 4. Such a construction is shown more clearly in FIG. 6, wherein the hinge 9 of a door panel 8 consists of two angular leaves 9a, 9b hinged together at one edge so that when the hinge is closed the leaves fit one within the other, the outer leaf 9a being rivetted or otherwise secured to a corner member, while the inner leaf Qb which is recessed into the edge of the door panel 8 is fastened to the door by screws 10 or the like passed through the inner surface of the door panel. The knuckle portion of the hinge which lies adjacent to the outer edge of the flange of the corner member 4 against which the hinged edge of the door abuts is thus the only part of the hinge which is visible when the door is closed.

A handle 11 may be secured at the opposite edge of the door panel 8, and comprises an L-shaped part which is recessed into the door and secured on the inside by screws 12.

It is preferable, to make the panels 1, 2, 3 and 8 of the same dimensions, and this involves the provision of crossbars 13, 14 at the top and bottom of each panel in all respects similar to the cross-bars 6, 7.

The rectangular wardrobe compartment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is completed by the addition of a square top member 15 and similar bottom member (not shown) the corners of which fit into the recesses afforded between the inwardly facing flanges of the cruciform corner members 4. The member 15 as well as internal fittings such as a shelf 16 or hanging rail 17 may be supported by side rails 18 secured at opposite ends to the flanges of the corner members 4 between which they extend, or upon cross-bracing members 19 extending diagonally between the corner members 4.

It will be readily understood that a series of box-like compartments constructed as above described may be readily assembled together, the members 4 which lie between adjacent compartments serving to receive the edges of panels appertaining to both of said adjacent compartments. Such an arrangement is represented in FIG. 6, in which the members 4 and 4" are common to two adjacent compartments; the panel 3 also serves to separate two adjacent compartments, and could be omitted if a single compartment having twice the normal width of a unit is required.

It will be observed that in all cases the means for fastening the panels to the members 4 penetrate the panels in a direction perpendicular to the front or rear surface of the panel. In FIG. 6 the fastening means is represented by screws 20. It will also be observed that the width of the flanges of the members 4 advantageously corresponds to the thickness of the panels, so that when a series of compartments are assembled together, for example, as indicated in FIG. 6, only the edge of a flange of the intermediate members 4, 4 form the front of the article. If desired the flanges of the corner members 4 can be similarly concealed by the addition of a strip 21 of material of quadrant-shaped cross-section between the exterior flanges at the corners of the article, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 6.

For the purpose of connecting the panels and crossbars to the cruciform strip-like members 4 fastening devices such as shown in FIGS. 7 to 12 are preferably used.

The device consists of a dowel 5 comprising a shank portion which may be screw threaded or may take the form of a plain pin, but is preferably serrated, as shown, so that when forced tight-1y into a recess bored in the face of a panel it will be firmly gripped and can be extracted only with great difficulty, or not at all. The dowel further comprises a collar 22, a reduced stern portion 23 and a head 24. The perforations 25 in the flanges of the members 4 are of suitable size to allow the passage therethrough of the head 24 of a dowel, but not the collar 22, and the lower portion of the perforation 25 has an extension 25a of restricted width in which the stem portion 23 of the dowel is adapted to fit if the head of the dowel is passed through the perforation 25 and the dowel is then moved longitudinally of the member 4. The length of the stem 23 between the collar and head 24 is approximately equal to the thickness of the flange of member 4. The manner in which a panel, cross-bar or the like is secured to a member 4 by the dowel described is clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

In FIG. 7 two dowels are shown, having collars 22 of different thicknesses. These are intended for use with panels of different thicknesses and serve to ensure that the outer edges of the flanges of the corner members 4 will be flush with the outside face of the adjacent panel.

It is not essential that the perforations 25 should be of key-hole shape. FIG. 9 shows, for example, an inclined L-shaped slot 26 in the flange of the member 4, adapted to receive the stem portion of the dowel 5 which is shaped as above described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

If desired the head portion 24 may be formed separately and screwed into the body of the dowel 5, as indicated by screw-thread 22 in FIG. 11.

A particular advantage of the fastening devices herein proposed lies in the fact that they may be employed, not only for fastening the panels to the corner members, but to support shelves or the like at any selected position upon the corner members. Thus, if it is desired to install a shelf in an article of furniture, for example, a wardrobe or bookcase constructed according to the invention, it is only necessary to select the apertures in the four corner members at the appropriate level and insert therein the improved fastening devices with the shank portions directed inwards. The shelf may then rest upon the inwardly extending shanks of the fastening devices as shown by the shelf 16 in FIGS. 9 and 10. The fact that the flanges of the corner members 4 on which such shelf-supporting fastening devices 5 are mounted may also have a panel 2 secured thereto will not interfere with the installation of the last mentioned fastening devices, since the heads thereof will have free passage in the spaces provided between the panel 2 and the flange to which it is affixed.

It is not necessary for the wardrobe sections or the like constructed according to the invention to be all of the same height. Preferably a standard height is chosen for the panels, this height being a multiple of the width of the panels. The width of the panels may therefore advantageously be regarded as the unit dimension and the panels may be cut without any waste from sheets, the superficial dimension of which are multiples of said unit. The width of the panels is preferably the same for all four sides of the wardrobe unit.

Cruciform-sectioned corner strips may be prefabricated in any desired multiples of the unit length plus the width of the aforesaid transverse frames at the top and bottom of the panels when assembled as above described. Thus, by choosing corner strips of appropriate length wardrobes or the like may be constructed having two or more compartments one above the other.

FIG. 13 shows by way of example an assembly of boxlike sections comprising panels, cross-bars and strip-like members assembled together to form a composite wardrobe or set of lockers. Some of the sections may be fitted with drawers slidable upon runners arranged for example, in a similar manner to the side rails 18.

The constructions described above not only enable articles to be readily built to suit individual requirements but also admit of being easily dismantled and packed in a small compass. FIG. 14 shows by way of example how the parts of a wardrobe such as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 when the article is taken apart may be packed together to form a rectangular pack-age, most convenient for storage or transport.

The invention is not limited to any particular method of securing the panels or other members to the corner strips. In some cases it may be suflicient to use adhesives for this purpose. It will be noted however, that the invention avoids the necessity for any fastening means to be inserted into the end surfaces of the panels or other members, the fastenings being in all cases inserted into said members in a direction normal to the plane of the member. Moreover, the end surfaces of the panels and other members, which are readily damaged if exposed are well protected by the flanges of the corner strips against which they abut.

It will be evident that by means of the invention the necessary elements, namely panels, corner members, top and bottom members and so forth may be prefabricated on a mass-production basis, supplied as a set of unassem-- bled parts to any person requiring to construct a Wardrobe or other boxlike piece of furniture of desired size and arrangement, it being a simple matter for even an unskilled person to assemble the parts to produce the required furniture, which will be not only strong and rigid in construction, but also of attractive appearance. The economical use of the materials of construction and the ease and convenience with which they may be transported as sets of unassembled parts renders possible the productiOn of wardrobes and similar articles at an extraordinarily low cost compared with the cost of producing a comparable article by customary methods of furniture manufacture.

I claim:

1. An article of furniture comprising rectangular panels and vertical strip-like members connected together, said strip-like mmebers being of cruciform cross-section pro viding four longitudinal flanges with rectangular recesses extending longitudinally between each pair of adjacent flanges, two diagonally opposite said recesses respectively receiving the marginal portions of two of said panels disposed perpendicular to each other, each with an end surface in abutting relation to one flange and with an adjacent plane surface in juxtaposed relation to another flange, and fastening means inserted through the last mentioned flange and into the juxtaposed plane surface of the panel and extending into the panel a distance less than the thickness of the panel.

2. An article of furniture comprising rectangular panels assembled in box-like arrangement together with striplike corner members of cruciform cross-section providing four longitudinal flanges with rectangular recesses extending longitudinally between each pair of adjacent flanges, the diagonally opposite recesses receiving the marginal portions of adjacent side panels disposed perpendicular to each other, and a plurality of side panels arranged in a common plane having their adjacent marginal portions received in longitudinally extending recesses afforded between the flanges of similar strip-like members of cruciform cross-section, said panels and strip-like members being secured by fastening means inserted through the flanges from inside said box-like arrangement and into the plane sides of the panels in juxtaposition to said flanges, said fastening means extending into said panels a distance less than the thickness of the panels.

3. An article of furniture comprising at least three panels connected together in a box-shaped arrangement by strip-like corner members of cruciform cross-section each constituting four longitudinal flanges with rectangular recesses extending longitudinally between them and receiving the marginal portions of the panels in diagonally opposite said recesses with an end surface of each panel in abutting relation to an adjacent flange, cross bracing members disposed diagonally between and extending into the mutually facing recesses of diagonally opposite corner members, and fastening means inserted through the flanges and into the juxtaposed plane sides of the panels.

4. An article of frniture as claimed in claim 1, said fastening means consisting of dowels having an enlarged head and an intermediate collar portion spaced from said head by a stern portion of a length approximately equal to the thickness of the aforesaid flanges and the thickness of the collar portion being not less than the thickness of the head.

5. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, at least two of said strip-like members being corner members with the panels arranged in a box-shaped arrangement, and crossbars extending between the oppositely facing recesses of an adjacent pair of said corner members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,497,453 2/1950 Hazen 248l20 FOREIGN PATENTS 379,009 8/1932 Great Britain. 742,341 12/ 1955 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

JOHN PETO, F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiners. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING RECTANGULAR PANELS AND VERTICAL STRIP-LIKE MEMBERS CONNECTED TOGETHER, SAID STRIP-LIKE MEMBERS BEING OF CRUCIFORM CORSS-SECTION PROVIDING FOUR LONGITUDINAL FLANGES WITH RECTANGULAR RECESSES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT FLANGES, TWO DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE SAID RECESSES RESPECTIVELY RECEIVING THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF TWO OF SAID PANELS DISPOSED PERPENDICULAR TO EACH OTHER, EACH WITH AN END SURFACE IN ABUTTING RELATION TO ONE FLANGE AND WIH AN ADJACENT PLANE SURFACE IN JUXTAPOSED RELATION TO ANOTHER FLANGE, AND FASTENING MEANS INSERTED THROUGH THE LAST MEN- 